Expressive Language Disorder

Overview:	Expressive language disorder is a communication disorder in which there are difficulties with verbal and written expression. It is a specific language impairment characterized by an ability to use expressive spoken language that is markedly below the appropriate level for the mental age, but with a language comprehension that is within normal limits. There can be problems with vocabulary, producing complex sentences, and remembering words, and there may or may not be abnormalities in articulation. As well as present speech production, very often, someone will have difficulty remembering things. This memory problem is only disturbing for speech; non-verbal or non-linguistically based memory will be unimpaired. In school-aged children, expressive language difficulties may be evident in writing as well. These children may have difficulties with spelling, using words correctly, composing sentences, performing written composition, etc. They may express frustration because they recognize that they cannot express the idea they wish to communicate. These children may become withdrawn socially because they cannot use language to relate to peers.
Writing Supports:	- a computer-based intervention, FastForword, that involves prolonged and intensive training on specific components of language and auditory processing. - pre-writing strategies to organize thoughts, using graphic organizers and use of writing models. - teachers or speech language pathologists may also work on language-based aspects of writing to help learners build comprehension and spoken expression (develop programs to develop speech goals). - Co:Writer program for word prediction
Apps:	Conversation Builder - provides picture stimuli and auditory prompts that allow students to practice initiating and continuing conversations of varying lengths (4-8 turns). Additionally, students can engage in both multiple-choice and open-ended modes and “pass the iPad” to a peer to continue the activity in a group setting. Both modes allow students to record and play back the entire conversation to assist in internalizing the script. Targets expressive and receptive language, social skills and pragmatics. Price: $5.99 Popplet - an app that can be used for mind-mapping and collaboration. Popplet could be used to create graphic organizers, provide visuals for a classroom-based or other topic, and organize material according to text structures (list, sequence, compare-contrast, cause-effect), all research-based practices. Popplet would also be a good venue to practice sentence combining and complex sentence creation with connecting of individual Popples. Articulation or Fluency targets could be reviewed in a Popplet. Price: $4.99
For More Information:	http://www.childspeech.net/u_iv_h.html (Children’s Speech Care Centre) http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Expressive_language_disorder(Expressive Language Disorder) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_ForWord (Fast ForWord Definition) http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/p/ldbaiscwriting.htm (Learning Disabilities in Written Expression)